MİT becomes the civilian master of intelligence

We got together with Hakan Fidan at the undersecretariat of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) for about two to three hours. He spoke of the new reforms and restructuring efforts of the “organization” on the 85th anniversary of its establishment. 

Here is the conclusion I drew from this talk: The country’s overall internal and external intelligence is now coming under the helm of a civilian organization, the MİT. 

The inclusion of the General Staff Electronic Systems Command in an MİT operation with its entire staff, after nearly a year of haggling, constitutes the clearest example of this. No more will there be two separate lines of work regarding the same matter. All electronic intelligence will now be merged under a singular authority, to be distributed to those who need it. 

You might recall every institution (the police, military and MİT) used to gather its own intelligence and has never shared it with the others in the past. This praxis gone awry is now being overhauled. All information pouring in from the police and military now enters an intelligence data pool under the MİT’s supervision, and each institution consequently receives the intel it needs from there. 

Hakan Fidan spoke of the MİT’s transformation via a newly found emphasis on technology and its new academy. He demonstrated his rare fortune as an undersecretary who has the entire weight of political authorities thrown behind him. 

An intermediary note: I was nonplussed about how clearly he spoke regarding the Uludere incident. He stressed they had not provided any intel to the military. The ball, in other words, once again landed in the military’s court. 

I would never have fancied lauding and raving over the MİT’s new undersecretary. Alas, there is no need to be hung up, however.

I met Hakan Fidan for the first time yesterday. My prior impression was Fidan had arrived in his post through a “politically motivated appointment,” as he stands close to the ruling party. I must admit I was quite impressed. He speaks eloquent Turkish and talks in a highly logical manner. He creates an impression of mastery over his subject. His answers reflect a self-confident stance. 

I noticed the newspapers featuring full-blown criticism toward him were also invited to the press meeting. His style was not condescending, and he answered every question. 

He exhibits neither over-confidence nor the illusion of grandeur. He demonstrated his awareness of the organization’s points of both strength and weakness. His modesty proved successful. His appearance, stance and performance demonstrates his grasp of the matters in his hand, leading people to think the MİT has been taken over by a solid personality.

I once more realized how erroneous it is to pass judgments about someone without knowing them first. 

Let us get Cemil Çiçek on top of a poplar tree (!)

“Let us just frame a new constitution, and I will even climb a poplar tree,” Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek told journalists at a meeting. Do you have any idea what makes a Parliament speaker say that? 
The languor, the torpor, the indolence you and I and everyone else is mired in, our habit of waiting for things to fall on our laps. 

A new constitution is coming about in this country. A conciliation commission was established, and work is underway. Everyone is expected to contribute to this work, perhaps for the first time. People are not told to write an entire constitution from top to bottom. Just jot down what kind of a constitution you would like to see. It will even suffice if you merely wrote about a few articles or what you expect in general. 

Remember our big-talking universities, our non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and our professional associations; almost none of them bothered to raise their voices, with a few exceptions. This lack of interest is what is driving Cemil Çiçek mad.